Card index



B. G. RAND March 28, 1939.

CARD INDEX Filed Oct. 12. 1937 Patented Mar. 2s, 1939 CARD INDEX Benjamin G. Rand, Glendale, Calif., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., Buffalo, N. Y.

Application October 12, 1937, Serial No. 168,631

Claims.

This `invention relates to card indexes and particularly to card indexes where the cards stand on edge in a drawer and have suitable means for providing connections between the cards so 5 that the elevation of one card in a series will serve to offset all of the cards in the series with the 1 -margin of each displayed in visible yindex relation.

The invention comprehends the provision of a suitable card index having a simple means providing a readily detachable connection between a series of cards, so arranged that it will cooperate in theoperation of one card to offset the addacent interconnected cards into visible index relation. 'I'his includes the provision of a suitable clip provided with. a slot and a pair of tongues on each card arranged so the tongues on one card will interengage in-the slot of the clip on an adjacent card for relative sliding movement to allow limited edgewise osetting of one card relative to the other.

The invention also provides an attaching member for application to record cards that may be readily attached to suchcards in a convenient manner and that involves a substantially simple construction in which the cards are readily de'- tachable from one another by rotation to a position at right angles to their normal relative position.

Inthe drawing:

Fig. 1 shows la series of cards in a drawer in perspective, each card being equipped according to the-invention, and oneV group of cards being oiset into visible index relation.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a series of cards in offset relation showing the margins invisible index relation.

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged fragment of one of the cards with its clip, in perspective, looking at the front face.

Fig. 4 shows one of the clips in perspective, having portions broken away to illustrate details of construction. y

Fig. 5 is a clip similar to Fig. 4 shown in perspective disassembled relation to the clip in Fig. 4

and in a position at right angles to the normal position, so the tongues can be interengaged in the slot of the clip in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 shows thel clip illustrated in Fig. 5 engaged with the clip of Fig. 4, and illustrates the 5o rst step in engaging the tongues on one clip in the slot of another in attaching two clips together. l r

Fig. 'I illustrates two interengaged clips in perspective at the end of the interengaging operation.

Fig. 8 shows a vertical cross section through a plurality of fragmentary ycard portions in offset relation interconnected by the clips of this invention.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 with the cards 5 in normal position one behind another as they 1 are when illed on edge in a drawer.

Fig. 10 shows a card fragment similar to Fig. 3 with the clip mounted on the lower edge of the VVcard andprojecting below the lower edge, therel0 by eliminating the recess as shown in Fig. 3.

'I'he record cards I are preferably slotted in the central portion of their lower edges as indicated at 2 and a clip 3 is applied to each 'of the cards to occupythe space provided by the slot 2. I'he 15 clip is in the formof a folded strip 'having the l front and back portions I and 5 extending vertically and having the free -ends overlapping opposite faces of the card above slot 2 and secured' theretoln any suitable manner, such as by eye- 20` lets 6.

The fold portion of the strip is at the bottom of' the card and lies in line with the bottom edge. The front portion 4 is formed with a central slot 'I extending vertically from the fold portion to a 25 point terminating approximately at the upper end of the slot 2 incard I. The back portion 5 of the clip is provided opposite to the upper end of the slot with a pair of oppositely projecting oiiset tongues 8 having the base portions spaced 30 apart a distance slightly less than the width of slot l while the ends of the tongues have a dimansion greater than the width of theI slot. I The widthi these tongues is less than thelength of slot 'I as will be clearly understood from an in- 35 spection of the drawing` so that when the tongues of one clip are engaged in the slot of another clip, the tongues will'have vertical movement in the slot to allow one clip to move relative to the other to a limited extent for offsetting the op- 4o` posite free margin of each card a distance equal to the amount of movement that the tongues have in the slot to thereby arrange the cards in visible index relation.

lIn order to engage one card with another, the 45 front card is rotated to aposition at right angles to its normal position and with respect to the .other card so that the tongues extend lengthwise of slots 1, see Figs. 4 and 5, whereupon both tongues are engaged in the slot of the clip on the adjacent card to which it is to be secured, as in Fig. 6. After the tongues are passed through this. slot, the card is then rotated back toits normal position as in Fig. '1, and the tongues engage between the front and back sections of the clip. Il

2 A, v 2,152,606 The front and backpsections l'and 5, respectively,

of the clip, are normally spaced apart a distance suillcient to slidably receive tongues 8 so that when the cards are connected they will have free 1 sliding movement'between opposite limits of slot 1.

The end card of a series may be provided with an indextab or the like as indicatedv at `lli sothat it may be gripped manually and the rear card of the series pulled upwardly. 'I'his will successively raise one card relative to the other until all of the cards in a connected series are' cept by .rotating one card into a position at right angles to the other which facilitates the manipulation of cards of this character since only one connection has to be engaged and disengaged and this can be readily done by the rotation of y the cards as described.

Fig. 10 shows the identical clip above described applied to the card with the upper end of slot 1 in line with thelower edge of the card so the remainder of the clip projects below the card. The

,method lof interengaging the clips is the same as projecting tongues, said slot extending laterally.

to said card margin, and said tongues on one clip engaging in the slot of an adjacent clip by turn# ing one card and clip at right angles to its normal position vto 4insert the tongues in the slot and subsequently returning the cards to'normal position with the tongues on the one clipslidably interengaged through the slot in the other clip for securing said cards together, said cards having limited relative sliding movement vfor rela tive offsetting of corresponding margins into visible index relation.

-2. A card index, comprising a plurality of cards l normally adapted for filing on edge, vand a clip on a margin o'f each card, each clip having a pair of oppositely projecting tongues on one side and a slot on the other` side, said slot having. its

major dimension extending transversely to said margin, the length -of said slot being sumcient to receive the tongues on another clip at right angles////fgr Y I to the normal position, said 'other cliphaving the tongues extending across said slot in normal position to attach adjacent cards for relative offsetting limited by the movement of the tongues in the slot whereby corresponding margins of said cards may be -arranged in visible index relation.

3. A card index, comprising a plurality of cards normally adapted for filing on edge, and attaching means on one margin of each card having 4a pair of adjacent oppositely directed tongues projecting along said margin adjacent oneface of the card and a slot provided by said means at the opposite. face of the card having its greater dimension extending transversely of said margin and of suilicient 4length to receive both tongues when turned from their normal position to extend longitudinally in said' slot, said tongues on each card engaging through the slot in an adjacent card to slidably interengage said attachingv means on adjacent cards in the normal position of said means for limited movement providing for the offsetting of said cards to arrange corresponding margins in visible index relation.

4. A card index, comprising a. plurality of cards,

, a clip on each card formed of a folded strip having opposite ends engaged with opposite faces of said card, a pair of tongues on one end portion of said strip, said strip having the opposite end portion formed with a slot, to detachably receive the tongues of a clip on an adjacent card for limited sliding movement therein whereby corresponding margins of adjacent cards may be offset in visible index relation.

5. `A card index, comprising a plurality of cards, a. clip on each card Vformed of a strip centrally folded and having the ends engaged over opposite faces of one margin of a card in transversely extending relation, one end of said strip being formed to provide a pair of lattaching tongues extending longitudinally of said margin, the other end of said strip being formed with a slot extendingtransversely of said card margin and long enough to receive both tongues, said slot having a transverse dimension'less than the distance between the ends of said tongues,'saidtongues on one card being engageable in the slot on another card when corresponding side edges of one card are at right angles to the other and said tongues slidably interconnecting adjacent cards for rela.- tive movement of said cards to offset a corresponding margin of' each card in visible index relation. i

BENJAMIN G. RAND. 

